Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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THE PHYSICIAN AT TH . Essay Read Before t Medical Society Mr. President and Gentlemen af the Anderson. County Medical Society: For , the past fifteen or twenty years our profession has been pressing for ward with so many new discoveries and made so ma ay changes, both in the medical and surgical departments, that we are kept ata swift gallop to keep pace with the medical centres of the country; and so anxious is the medical man to keep abreast of the times that all of his thoughts and studies seem to be on some new reme dy; some new work, some new surgical instrument or some new operation. To this I shall urge no objection; ? provided we do not carry it so far as to entirely discard all of the' teachings of our older brethren. It is all right so far as it goes, but some times, when j we chase the butterfly, we lose valua ble time and gain no headway, espe cially in our profession. We must also remember that there is much to ; be learned outside of our medical books and periodicals in. the daily pur suit of our profession. We must not ."^forget;' that ic is not only the college faculty before whom we must pass our examination; for they have trained us and will often bear with our short comings, but we have a more exacting faculty to pass before-''the people," . "the public" ; Vud while they will give.u3 credit for wiiat is due us they will neither condone or excuse our shortcomings. Let me illustrate this idea by an incident that occurred at a medical college just before, the final. . examination some years ago. It was v during a professional visit of one of : the- faculny to the bedside-of a sick medical sfcaclent. After he" had exam h i; ined and prescribed for the sick stu \ dent several of hi9 . fellow students j :.*;3said to the Prof essor: "We are study ing hard, Professor, for the final ex : . aminatioi, and we hope you will be' easy^with us. We hope to get your vote in our favor. The Professor re plied: "Well, that is all right, young gentlemen. I always vote to graduate my students. ; I never blackball them. I send them home with a diploma, and if they aie 'damn fools' their neigh i bois will soon find it out." . , Therefore, my professional brethren, I would ask your indulgence to-day while I call, you back to one of the duties of our profession that we meet /.with almos i every day. I refer to the "Pki/sici;m at,the Coroner s Inquest." This maj seem to many of you to be of very little importance to the gen eral practitioner. This, however, is a great mistake, as we will see further on. Let me at this point speak of the Inquest and the parties concerned : from a legal standpoint. In all civil ized countries there is one "branch of , the government termed the judicial. Among its other duties is that of the trial of parties.charged with the com mission of crime. Before, however, a party can be arraigned for crime it is necessary for the crime to exist, espe cially that of death by violence or from other than natural causes. Now, in . order to bring this matter in a proper manner before the Judicial Court for trial, a department of the judiciary, called the Court of the Coroner, is provided, consisting of the Coroner and his jury. I will not go into the details of ?he duties of the. Coroner in other countries, but will . ?confine this essay to the Coroner and the Inquest as it exists in this State. The Coroner is an elective officer, 'and before entering upon the duties of his office he takes a solemn oath to per-; form the duties appertaining to his office to the best of his ability, and also gives' a bond of several thousand dollars for tibe faithful performance of the same. Under the old law it was the duty,of the Coroner, upon being notified of the death of any person in the County from other than a natural cause, to immediately investigate the cause of the death and to summon his jury to assist. At a recent session of .our Legislature, however, this law was amended so that when a death occurs other than from natural causes, the Coroner can only hold an Inquest upon the request of two or more reputable citizens or after a personal examina tion of the matter by himself. The Coroner on such notice and request immediately orders the sheriff, or some other officer, to summon a jury of twelve men; he also summons one or more Physicians to be present and examine the body of the deceased and give their medical opinion. After the .jury has been formed the Coroner ad ministers the oath they are to be gov erned by. The Coroner then orders the jury to view the dead body. After they have viewed the body and, if possible, identified it, the witnesses are then sworn and state what they know of the cause of the death (some times this proceeding is reversed and the Physician is first sworn.) This is the legal part of the proceeding. Now comes the medico-legal part, in which the Physician comes to the front. Let me here suppose this to be a case of murder. A row has taken place, weapons have been used, pistol shots have been heard, wounds E CORONER'S HUES' he Anderson Conni April IO, 1899. are seen on the body. The crowd full of witnesses who know all abo it, and can tell it all from the begi ing to the end. The Physician is < dered by the Coroner to examine t body. He looks at the body and se the wounds, he has heard all of t evidence of the witnesses. Wh must he say? What can he sa Upon his say-so depends theinnocen or guilt of a human being, and p< haps his life. If there are more th; one wound he cannot say which woui caused the death-he cannot say any of them caused the death-f how can he know without a caref examination and dissection of tl body. Right here the law steps and puts a stop to his work. - The law, now says a dissection stu not take place unless requested by tl jury. If the learned and skilled Ph sieian cannot teil the cause of tl death, how can we expect a jury meD, however intelligent they may b who are unskilled in the profession medicine to say when a dissecti? shall or shall not take place. Tl Physician is requested to give h opinion without the dissection, and he does it he does it at his peri To-day, my professional brethren, raise my voice in solemn warnir against this loose and careless mann* of conducting a post mortem examin tion afc a Coroner's Inquest. It ha on more- than one occasion let tl guilty criminal escape from a just ai well-merited punishment, and allowe him to again roam about free and ui tramelled, except from the stings of guilty conscience; and. again son times an innocent party is unjust] convicted for the same cause. Tb question is often asked who is t blame? Is- it the juries, the judg< or the lawyers? I answer no-nc always. It is yreU for us to examin into this matter more closely, and i may be that sometimes the blame ca be laidivery closely to our own doon What, then, is the duty of the Phj sician at the Coroner's Inquest. Le me speak plainly on this sub j ectso tha we can be put right before the jury o Inquest, right before the Courts of ou country, and right before our people A Physician, when called upon t make an examination of a dead bod; before a Coroner's Inquest, become the friend of the Court of inquiry, ht is the hired servant of the State fo the time being, he is in position oi i Judge, his opinion is to be relied oi by the wjioie State at large, and thi strong arm of the law is thrown arounc him to protect him from harm. I is not the paltry sum of a few dol?an that he is paid that is to be consid?r?e in the matter; that is a mere nothing compared to the responsibility of hit position. Therefore, the Physiciac should feel not only the delicacy ol his position, but should remember and maintain the dignity of his profession. His diploma and examination by the State Board gives him the right to practice and also protects him in hie calling. It, therefore, demands and expects of him to serve the common wealth whenever called on to the best of his ability; it is for this reason that the State, through her Coroner, called him to assist with his skill at the Coroner's Inquest. It is presum ed that a Physician called upon to make an examination before a .Coroner and his jury, must not be connected iii any way with the cause of the death of the deceased. That he must be fully competent to perform the task assigned him, and if he is not he should say so at once, so that another Physician could take his place that will give his opinion as to the cause of the death without fear or favor to any party. This is not only good law but common sense. ( When a Physician is summoned by the Coroner to examine the body of a dead person, he should answer the summons promptly and cheerfully. He should always take with him his dissecting case of instruments, and such disinfectants as he may choose, (also a note book for use as a reference afterwards.) When he goes into the Coroner's Court let him take his seat quietly and listen carefully to the testimony of the witnesses but make no comments whatever. Be careful to note the testimony in regard to the direction the weapon was held by the accused, the position in which both parties occupied at the time of the row, the size of the weapon, also of the ball or instrument used by either party, take notice of everything that gives information in regard to the wound, the time it was inflicted, the time the party died. Doo't be io a hurry to ask questions or to give your opinion. Your opinion is your own private property, and if you express it, it belongs to everybody, and you may regret it when it is too late to recall it. Keep your own counsel it mon t burst nour boiler and may be of great service to you hereafter. Answer no questions, unless to some one who is authorized to ask the ques tion. When the Coroner requests you to proceed with the examination go to the body, note of the position you find the body, unless it has been moved. Notice carefully the clothing; note its condition; then inspect carefully thc body; search for the wound or wounds; notice for powder burns and everything of importance. After you have gone through with this to your satisfaction, if you can consistently do so give your opinion. If you can not give an opinion be sure to say so in a plaiu, but respectful manner, to the Coroner and Jury, and tell them of the neces sity of a careful dissection of the body. The law does not expect im possibilities of any one. Also re member that it is a very serious mat ter to give an opinion that will per haps let a guilty party escape or con demn an innocent party, and cause him to suffer for one's incompetency or carelessness. Also remember that there may be many causes to produce death besides the wounds found on the body of the deceased. How many times have we seen our soldiers in the Confederate army wounded in almost every part of the body, and left on the battlefield as beyond all hope from medical aid, and some of them are living and apparently well, even at this late day. Another point. Re member the opinion you give way off in the country to a small but excited crowd around you, may cause you con siderable annoyance when yon are placed on the witness stand at the session of the Circuit Court. It has been stated by an eminent authority "that it is very unwise on the part of a medical man to give his opinion as to the cause of the death of a party by violence, or other unnatural cause, without first making a careful dissec tion of every organ of his body." I would, therefore, urge upon you to be careful of giving your opinion of the caure of the death of a party without a careful dissection of the body. If the Jury consents to the dissection of the body, (and I am sure no reasona ble jury would object,) I would make the following suggestions: After dis infecting the hands well, proceed in a very deliberate manner to make your dissections. Allow no one to dictate to you what to do, or when to stop.. Don't allow them to hurry you in your work. If you need any help select your own man-some good, level headed man is easily found in a crowd, and make him obey your orders. Don't let him lead you. You are the responsible party, and it is your opin ion that will tell the tale. You will some times find'a smart Aleck, or a bulldozer in the crowd who will do considerable talking, and be as full of suggestions as an egg is of meat. This will sometimes cause you some annoy ance. Just call the attention of the Coroner to the necessity of keeping order, and the Coroner will readily come to your relief and make it pleas ant for you. Be sure to examine the body until you are fully satisfied. If there is any doubt on your mind, go over every organ again-even take in the spinal cord and brain. Of course if you are satisfied soon after getting into the body it is all right. Don't forget, however, you may be asked about the condition of every organ in the body at the Circuit Court. The lawyer always takes care of the doubts in favor of the prisoner. When you have satisfied yourself as to the cause of death, and you are through with the dead body, say nothing. Keep quiet. After washing your hands ask for pen, ink and paper, and write out your opinion in a plain and intelligible manner. Above all things leave off your technicalities-they don't count for anything with the jury, it only shows you don't understand the Eng lish language, and have to borrow from some dead lauguage to express yourself. Use plain English, nothing more. After writing your opinion hand it to the Coroner, and let him swear you. Again answer no ques tions, unless by order of the Coroner or jury, as by so doing you are only furnishing ammunition for the lawyers at the next term of the Court. Hav ing made the postmortem and deliv ered your opinion to the jury, keep your mouth closed until you are order ed to open it hy the proper authorities at Court. I have hurriedly sketched our duties at the Coroner's Court in a murder case. I have not gone into cases of poisoning, child-murder, abortion, rape, insanity, &c, as my paper has ' already exceeded the limit, but I trust I have said enough to cause a halt, at least for a while, in our rush after new things, and to consider some of the more practical duties of our pro fession. Respectfully submitted, R. F. Div VE a, M. D'. "A word to the wise is sufficient'' and a word from the wise should bo sufficient, but you ask, who are the wise? Those who know. The oft re peated experience of trustworthy per sons may be taken for knowledge. Mr. W. M. Terry says Chamberlain's Cough Remedy gives better satisfac tion than any other io thc market. He has been in the drug business at Elkton, Ky., for twelve years; has sold hundreds of bottles of this rem edy and nearly all other cough medi cines manufactured, which shows con clusively that Chamberlain's is the most satisfactory to the people, and is the best. For sale by Hill-Orr Drug Co. How to Win a Mau. Many a wife complains that her hus band does not take her about, that she only sees him at meals, or that he makes friendships in which she has no part. She blames him for neglect ing her, and thinks herself ill used. Yet he is only following the natural instinct of humanity in seeking for sympathetic friendship; the fault real ly is hers. If her conversation does not interest him sufficiently to hold him, she should study him and the subjects that he cares for, and try to live to his standard. She ,has once had his love and sympathy; if she has not kept it, it is she who is to blame for not striving to care for the things which occupy and interest him. A man to be won and kept, must first be attracted, aud then made to feel that he has found a sympathy which draws him out, and makes him talk about what interests him most. It is not enough to make him listen while he is being talked to. For a time that will keep him. but he will tire of always being a listener, of al ways giving his sympathy and receiv ing none. To hold a man, a woman must understand and study him ; she must not be exacting, for to expect too much only makes him feel that he wants to give less. She must realize that men are almost always selfish, in eradically so, not from any innate de pravity of their sex, but merely from the modern conditions of life which have molded them. A man usually goes out into the world young, he leads a separate exis tence at an age when his sister is still surrounded by her home circle. When his work is done, if he has any, he has only to think, "What shall I do to day that will give me the most pleas ure?" That men act more andmore on this principle is shown in the way they now treat their ordinary social engagements ; the way they will break one when another more attractive of fers itself, and will not decide until the last moment whether or not they will go to such and such a party. Can any one wonder that many years of in dulgence in this, coupled with a larger command of money than their sisters, should make them more selfish, should end by fixing the habit of thinking of their own pleasure so firmly in their minds that it is practically ineradica- j ble ? It may be overpowered for a time by a strong affection, and all the counter influences of courtship and early matrimony. But later, when these have ceased to be novelties, and a man settles down to a regular mar ried life, the old selfish habit of years reasserts itself, and his wife is in clined to blame him for changing to ward her. This is unjust, for he is no more to be blamed for the habits which have been acquired from his circumstances and environments than he is to be held responsible for those qualities which he inherits from his progenitors. It is better for the woman who lives with him, and whose happiness is bound up with his own, to recognize this fact, and, in studying his tenden cies, to take her measures accordingly. A woman, on the contrary, is train ed in a different school. When her brother is out in the world earning bia living, or, at any rate, leading a sepa rate existence, she is usually at home with other members of the household, whom she has always to consider when any plans or engagements, however trivial, have t?o be made. She, though she rarely realizes it, can only think, "What can we do to-day which will interest or amuse us?" She cannot go about much alone, and often her means are too limited to allow of much independent action. Having thus to defer to the wishes of her relations, she is duly trained in habits of yield ing to others and of unselfishly giving up her will and pleasure to them. Thus he in his bachelor days is duly trained to selfishness, she, in her spin sterhood, is equally brought up to un selfishness. The sooner a woman recognizes this fundamental difference between the acquired natures of her self and men the more likely is she to be attractive to them, and the better chances she will have of lasting hap piness.- The Mexican lier aid. Couldn't Silence Him. "I thought I had him silenced," remarked the man whose mind stoops to small things. "But I hadn't." "To whom do you refer?" "That old inhabitant who is always declaring that's it's the hottest or the coldest weather the city has known. I strolled up to him and said. 'This is very moderate weather we're having.' 'Yes,' said he, to my personal knowl edge, it's the moderatest weather we've had in sixty years.' "--UW? i n gt on Star. -^ ? ^ Rheumatism Cured. My wife has used Chamberlain's Pain Balm for rheumatism with great relief, and I can recommend it as a splendid liniment for rheumatism and other household usefor which v, ^ nave found it valuable.-W. J. CUYLEK, Red Creek, X. Y. Mr. Cuyler is one of the leading merchants of this village and one ol' thc most prominent men in this vicin ity.- W. G. PiriPiTN, Editor Red Creek Herald. For sale by Hill-Orr Drug Co. Rajah Has Killed His Ninth Man. KANSAS CITY, MO., April ii.-The murderous elephant, Rajah, known as the "Man Killer," added another to his list of victims this morning when he killed his keeper, Frank Fisher. Fisher is the ninth man that Rajah has killed during the seven years that he has been in captivity. He proba bly will not add to his list, for there is a movement on foot to have him slain. Fisher went to the circus' winter quarters at Argentine this morning. He was proud of his powers as an ani mal tamer. To prove his powers, he visited, in turn, the lion's cage and the bear's den, coming out of each uninjured. Then he went over and commenced to play with Rajah. Rajah was in a particularly vicious mood and refused to obey Fisher's or ders. "When he refused to open his mouth, Fisher struck him on the trunk with his fist. This angered the ani mal. In a second he had grabbed Fisher's arm in his mouth and crush ed it to a pulp. The sight and taste of blood and the trainer's screams crazed the monster. He tossed Fisher to the ground with his tmnk and tried to gore him with his tusks. His tusks were so short, however, having been sawed off close, to render them less murderous, that he could not reach his victim with them. Rajah then deliberately knelt upon Fisher's chest. He broke every rib ia the man's body and crushed the life out of him. Thc coroner will hold an inquest to morrow morning, after which legal proceedings will be taken to have Ra jah put to death. Several efforts in this direction have been made before, but his owners have always been able to thwart them. Nearly all of the nine men whom Rajah has killed have been circus em ployees who had nothing to do with the elephants. Fisher is the first keeper Rajah has killed. It has not been because of any fondness that Ra jah has had for Fisher that the latter escaped until to-day, but because the brute was afraid of him. Fisher had been Rajah's keeper ever since shortly after he was brought to this country, and had had several nar now escapes from death before. He was an Englishman. His home was in Montreal. Rajah had been particularly trouble some this winter, although Fisher was the first man he had killed since the circus went into winter quarters. A few weeks ago he broke loose and was at large for two days, during which time he made all kinds of trouble for the railroads in the switching yards at Argentine by tearing out their switch es and signals. He even tipped a box car over one day, blockading the track until a wrecking train could' be se cured from Kansas City. He was shot several times before he was captured, and it was feared for a time that he might die, but the bul lets never seemed to bother him much beyond making him more surly than before. Rajah is a very large East Indian elephant. ?vSSrfa i iii 1 physician, must ba S?fli?HlB Inl*^ more or less heart iffiWl I LJ 41=^ lcsSi People mis" ^^SMtlj? j fl take heartlessness ?^^nml/f/ f*or nervc- TJ:e tv,'? r^?^?|===$| terms are far from 1 BT??^^?? synonymous. A man may have a nerve of steel and a heart as tender as a mother's. Of all the specialists in the world, there probably are not two that have as wide an experience in the treatment of women's diseases as Dr. R. V. Pierce, chief consult ing physician to the Invalids' Hotel and Surgical Institute, at Buffalo, N. Y. With the assistance of his staff of able physi cians, he has prescribed, in the past thirty years, for many thousands of women. Dr. Pierce is pre-eminently a sympathetic phy sician. Perhaps more than any other man in the profession he realizes the hardships of woman's work, and the disadvantages under which she labors because of the weak, delicate and susceptible structure of the feminine organism. His immense prac tice in diseases peculiar to women forced upon his recognition the fact that women would never take the proper care of their health, so long as that care required the repugnant "examinations" and "local treatments" insisted upon by nearly all physicians. A fter years of study he invent ed a remedy now known as Dr. Pierce's Favorite Prescription that is an absolute and unfailing cure for the most complicated and obstinate cases of diseases peculiar to women. This wonderful medicine cures in the privacy of the home, and does away with the necessity for obnoxious "local treatment." It imparts health, strength, vigor and elasticity to the organs distinctly feminine and fits for wifehood and mother hood. In paper covers, 21 one-cent stamps; cloth binding, io cents extra. Dr. Pierce's Com mon Sense Medical Adviser. Address Dr. R. V. Pierce, Buffalo, N. Y. FKOM this data until loth May I am prepared to oiler extra low pri?es on PIANOS and ORGANS. Remember, I will be glad to price anything in the SEWING MACHINE line. I guarantoo my prices are 20 per cent lower tban you will have to pay elsewhere. I have noth ing but a carefully selected stock of new Instruments-nothing shop-worn or sec ond-hand. M. L. "WILLIS, South Main .St., Anderson, S. C. Sr- -' ^/egelablePrcpar?fionforAs similating theToodandB.cgula ting thaStomachs andBoraeJs of lNFA^?S,/-CHILl)RE EromotesD?g?sUon,Cheeiful ness andHest.Conta?ns neither Opmn^orpnine nor r^neral. ?S?OT NARCOTIC. Rzapc af Old JkSiM?EL?HTIEE? Pim pian Sa?~ sflx.Stnna * jtaix Seed * Jrppernont - Bi OirtonaitSuLz * fiimJceJ Cbiri?ed Sugar . Hfcfrjr ww Ftarur. Aperfecf Remedy for Constipa tion, Sour Stomach.Diarrhoea, Worms .Convulsions .Feverish ness and Loss OF SLEEP Tac Simile Signature of 7OW "YORK. fi ??ACT-C0PrOFWBA?EEB. listas*_ [\_fri h month^ old For Infants and Children. The Kind You Have Always Bought Kind Have Always Bought THC CENTAUR COMPANY. NEW YORK CITY. The Great Oliver S.teel Beam Plow. OVER ten times more OLIVERS sold in Anderson than any other make. They have been tried. The verdict is unanimous for the OLIVERS. The Steel Beam a great feature. Warranted to stand anywhere. Handled in Car lots we give lowest possible prices. 'The sizes for this section are Nos 40, 20,19,13, &c. Buy only the Oliver Steel Beam Flows if you are after the best. DISC, SPADING AND SMOOTHING HARROWS, &c. Twenty years experience has taught us the needs of the farmers, and we know our Harrows are just the Implements for this section. An absolute, broad, personal guarantee given by us. SULLIVAN HARDWARE CO. "Pitts'-- I \ ?mrminathro $ I ?&tmd BmhSm Ufo." t I ** ? S LA?/iE & RANKIN DRUG CO.i J ? I can not recommend Fitts' Car- 5 ? mina liva too ctronjly. I mut tay, $ J I ow? my baby's lifo to It || I I earnestly ask nil mothers wis j! * har? sickly or delicate childi? Jut j| 5 to try ene bottle and see what tho <C ?$ maali will be. Respectfully, ?? * MM. LIZZIE MURRAY, J Johnson's Station, Ge. ?j* ? * ! Ma' Oarmlnat?vm fi I ls mold by all Drogotota, jr $Mt/o? 95 oem. J Township Commissioners. ANDKESOX, S. C., April 4, J899. AT a meeting of the Board of County Commissioners held this day, it was re solved by said board to appoint Sub Commissioners in the various Townships in Anderson County, to whom the people can apply to, and make report of any bridges or any job of work that requires immediate attention. Any person doing a job of work in Anderson County before he presents his claim, must have his claim verified by the Sub-Commissioners of the Township in which said work is done. Also, the Board decided to receive commutation road tax until 15th April, after which time they positively will not receive any money, and parties will nave to work the roads when warned or pay the penalty; and for convenience of the people parties can pay money to the Sub Commissioners in the Township, orto the County Treasurer until 15th April. Broadaway-J. N. Vandiver. Belton-J. J. Vaughn. Brushy Creek-H. F. Cely. CentreVillo-L. J. Burriss. Fork-R. A. Sullivan. Garvin-J. E. Garvin. Hopewell-P. H. Brown. Honea Path-J. M. Hanks. Hall-W. P. Bell. Martin-R. E. Parker. Pendleton-Samuel McCrary. Rock Mills-B. F. Shirley. Savannah-J. J. Smith. Varennes-J. H. Jone?. Williamston-J. F. McAlister. W. P. SNELGROVE, County Supervisor. J. F. CLA.RDY, Clerk Boara Oo. Com. w. a MCGEE, SURGEON DENTIST. OFFICE-front R^om, over Farmers and Merchante Bank ANDERSON, S. C. P*b 9,1898 33 Music for Christmas! WITH tb6 lightness ?od brightness of Christmas comes the desire for Music for better Instruments, and for Goods that suit the taste and please the senses. WE give you the BEST VALUES in Music, the greatest pleasure io Musical Goods, and the best. prices yon ever saw. Haying recently a A FulHOarSLoad of Pianos, - AND - . A Large Number of Organs, And having made sweeping re duction in Prices until Christ mas, feel sure that we can make it to your interest to carefully inspect our large and handsome Stock. Call and see the celebrated Columbia Grapho phone, which we sell at manufacturer's prices. Soliciting your patronage, which will be highly appreciated, and thanking you in advance for an investigation of our Stock, we remain Most respectfully, THE C. A. REED MUSIC HOUSE.